07 November 2007

Lucky Sevens: Melbourne Cup

Tuesday was the Melbourne Cup, also known as 'the race that stops a nation'. And yes, it does stop the nation. Tuesday afternoons at school are for staff and faculty meetings, but on the Tuesday of the Cup, our meeting consists of watching the race. Incidentally, my first day at the school two years ago was Melbourne Cup day. That was an interesting introduction to Australian schools. The Melbourne Cup is considered the premiere two mile race in the world. That's right: not just in the Southern Hemisphere. This year's winner, pictured here, was Efficient.

However, there was a situation this year that nearly canceled, or at least postponed, the Melbourne Cup. Your Lucky Sevens question for November is: What happened that almost stopped the race that stops a nation?

We have our first Lucky Sevens winner not named Sam! Despite border security's best effort, horse flu found its way to Australia, shutting down the racing industry and horse transportation in order to isolate the virus. While it has brought a halt to gambling across the country (and that is a big deal here), the Melbourne Cup was able to be run, albeit with a smaller field than usual.